OK. Point of interest...maybe this actually is more of a "generational thing."

Informal poll of a dozen or so IT types that were milling around the IBM office where I happened to be working with an old colleague...

There were only a couple younger guys in the office - like, in their 20s. Everyone in their 30s and over stated that they intuitively think of x86 as indicative of 32-bit, and normally would use x64 to refer to 64-bit stuff - hardware or software.

The 2 guys in their 20s said they never use "x64" and just refer to any such hardware or software intended to be used on a Windows platform as "x86."

At which point the rest of us told them to stay off our lawns.

I think it probably has to do with them not really "living" through the transition of 64-bit extensions into the platform. Neither of them really have any recognition of Itanium either. We had to explain to them what the hell that even was, and why it ultimately failed. Well...they understood why it ultimately failed, once we described it to them...it's just kind of amazing that they didn't know.

No x86 hardware is 32-bit anymore. What are all these 32-bit parts that need their own nomenclature? "x64" is a software term. Microsoft uses it to distinguish between their 32- and 64-bit software. Even your links say that.